Sero-prevalence of chlamydiosis in cattle and selected wildlife species at a wildlife/livestock interface area of Zimbabwe

Tropical Animal Health and Production - A study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Chlamydia abortus infection in cattle and some selected wildlife...     

Capacity building: benchmark for production of meat with low levels of bacterial contamination in local slaughterhouses in Somaliland

The objective of the study was to investigate and assess the impact of trainings on the levels of meat contamination produced from local livestock slaughter facilities in the North-West region of Somalia (Somaliland). The investigation considered slaughter facilities where workers had been trained or not. The survey was carried out in four local slaughter facilities. A pre-tested questionnaire on abattoir hygiene and food safety standards was administered to International Aid Organizations, government officials, abattoir workers and supervisors. In addition, a total of 320 surface meat swab samples were collected from randomly selected small ruminant carcasses slaughtered from four purposefully selected local slaughter facilities. The samples were analyzed at Analabs laboratories in Nairobi, Kenya, for total viable counts, total coliforms count and presence of Salmonella species. Meat contamination risk factors associated with hygiene practices based on training offered or not was identified. It was noted that slaughter facilities where abattoir workers had not received trainings on minimum meat hygiene standards and quality assurance systems of good hygiene practices and sanitary standard operating procedures produced carcasses with high levels of bacterial contamination in comparison with those where workers had received the said trainings. The laboratory results were in agreement with poor hygiene meat handling practices and lack of compliance with minimum meat hygiene and food safety standards in Berbera and Burao local livestock slaughter facilities where personnel had not been trained.     

Fatal necrotizing fasciitis and myositis in a captive common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) associated with Streptococcus agalactiae.

A common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was presented for necropsy after acute onset of gastrointestinal signs and cutaneous lesions that rapidly progressed to death. Gross and microscopic findings were characterized by locally extensive severe necrohemorrhagic fasciitis and cellulitis, and severe necrotizing myositis in the head and dorsocranial thorax, with numerous disseminated gram-positive cocci. Streptococcus agalactiae was isolated from the lesions and from visceral organs (liver and lung), and it was identified by standard microbiology techniques. This communication is the first report of necrotizing fasciitis in a marine mammal associated with S. agalactiae.     

Private sector involvement in the control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in the Kazungula district of Zambia benefitted the community and the control strategy

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a disease of economic importance that is widely distributed in sub-Saharan African and contributes significantly to cattle morbidity and mortality. Lack of resources to implement eradication measures has led to the disease becoming endemic in most areas in sub-Saharan Africa where governments have little resources and the majority of the people are poor. Usually, control and eradication of such diseases as CBPP is treated as a public good by governments and to achieve this, governments are usually assisted by nongovernment organisations, bilateral government programmes and international donors. The private sector, which usually is companies that run businesses to make profit, although not very well established in sub-Saharan Africa could play a big role in the eradication of CBPP in the region. This could play a dual role of promoting investment and also eradicate livestock diseases which have proved a menace in the livestock sector. This paper highlights the role played by the private sector in the control of CBPP in Zambia.     

Effect of chelating and antioxidant agents on morphology and DNA methylation in freeze-drying rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) spermatozoa

Freeze-drying (FD) has been exhaustively tried in several mammalian species as an alternative technique to sperm cryopreservation, but few studies have been done in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The main objective of this study was to compare the protective effect of various antioxidants added to EDTA medium on structural and functional components of FD rabbit spermatozoa and on their status of global DNA methylation. FD media used were composed of basic FD medium (10 mM Tris-HCl buffer and 50 mM NaCl) supplemented with either 50 mM EDTA alone (EDTA) or added with 105 µM of rosmarinic acid (RA, EDTA-RA) or 10 µM of melatonin (MLT, EDTA-MLT). The effect of each medium on the preservation of FD spermatozoon structure was evaluated with light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Global DNA methylation was quantified in all FD sperm samples as well as in fresh spermatozoa. Morphologically, fracture points were evidenced in the neck, mid and principal piece of the spermatozoon tail. No differences in spermatozoon fracture points were evidenced among FD treatments: intact spermatozoa were the largest (p < .01) category, whereas the most frequent (p < .01) injury was the neck fracture, resulting in tailless heads. At SEM, the head of spermatozoa showed a well-conserved shape and intact membrane in all treatments. DNA methylation status was the same in all FD treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of EDTA, EDTA-RA and EDTA-MLT during FD preserved rabbit sperm morphological integrity and methylation status as well. Therefore, the difficulty of getting viable offspring using FD semen is likely unrelated to the impact of the lyophilization process on DNA methylation and morphology of lyophilized spermatozoa.     

Computed tomography-guided fine-needle aspiration and tissue-core biopsy of bone lesions in small animals

In humans, free-hand computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy is an accurate method to obtain a tissue sample. There are only a few reports of this technique in veterinary medicine. In the present study, 21 dogs and two cats underwent a free-hand CT-guided tissue-core biopsy (17 animals) or fine-needle aspiration (six animals) of a bone lesion. Two out of 17 tissue-core samples were also cultured. All 17 tissue-core biopsy samples were diagnostic (accuracy of 100%). Five out of six aspirates were diagnostic (accuracy of 83.3%). The overall accuracy was 95.7%. In one aspirate, cytologic quality was insufficient containing only blood. No major complications were encountered. Fourteen neoplastic, two infectious and six benign lesions were diagnosed. CT examination after intravenous contrast medium added useful information to avoid large vessels and to biopsy-viable tissue. Free-hand CT-guided tissue-core biopsy and aspiration appears to be a safe and very accurate procedure for use in the diagnosis of bone-associated diseases in small animals.     

Endogenous retroviruses of sheep: a model system for understanding physiological adaptation to an evolving ruminant genome

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are present in the genome of all vertebrates and are remnants of ancient exogenous retroviral infections of the host germline transmitted vertically from generation to generation. Sheep betaretroviruses offer a unique model system to study the complex interaction between retroviruses and their host. The sheep genome contains 27 endogenous betaretroviruses (enJSRVs) related to the exogenous and pathogenic Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV), the causative agent of a transmissible lung cancer in sheep. The enJSRVs can protect their host against JSRV infection by blocking early and late steps of the JSRV replication cycle. In the female reproductive tract, enJSRVs are specifically expressed in the uterine luminal and glandular epithelia as well as in the conceptus (embryo and associated extraembryonic membranes) trophectoderm and in utero loss-of-function experiments found the enJSRVs envelope (env) to be essential for conceptus elongation and trophectoderm growth and development. Collectively, available evidence in sheep and other mammals indicate that ERVs coevolved with their hosts for millions of years and were positively selected for biological roles in genome plasticity and evolution, protection of the host against infection of related pathogenic and exogenous retroviruses, and placental development.     

Stomach wall evaluation using helical hydro-computed tomography

In helical hydro-computed tomography (helical hydro-CT), water is used as a neutral luminal contrast medium together with intravenous iodine contrast medium for the diagnosis and staging of human gastric neoplasia. We evaluated the feasibility of helical hydro-CT in 11 healthy animals (nine dogs and two cats). Adequate uniform gastric distension was obtained with 30 ml water/kg body weight. Fourteen client-owned dogs and four cats with suspected or diagnosed gastric neoplasia then underwent helical hydro-CT followed by intravenous contrast medium administration. Focal thickening with moderate contrast enhancement was found in 10 dogs and 3 cats. The extent of the lesion was assessed easily in all these patients. Three dogs and one cat had a normal stomach wall. One dog had multifocal thickening of the antrum but no histopathologic diagnosis was made. Helical hydro-CT, followed by intravenous contrast medium administration, is a simple technique for assessing the stomach wall.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF EOSINOPHILIC PULMONARY GRANULOMATOSIS IN FIVE DOGS

Canine pulmonary eosinophilic granulomatosis is a rare inflammatory pulmonary disease characterized by formation of eosinophilic granulomas that tend to obliterate the normal pulmonary architecture. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe the CT characteristics of confirmed idiopathic pulmonary eosinophilic granulomatosis in a group of dogs. Five dogs met inclusion criteria. All patients were young adult dogs of variable breeds. No dog had concurrent occult heartworm disease. Computed tomographic characteristics most commonly included pulmonary masses and nodules of variable size, and lesions were most commonly located in the caudal lung lobes. Four dogs had large pulmonary masses with or without additional nodules and one dog had nodular lesions disseminated throughout the entire lung parenchyma. All large eosinophilic granulomas were smoothly margined, heterogeneous pulmonary masses displaying heterogeneous contrast enhancement. A honeycomb‐like enhancement pattern was observed in all but one mass and consisted of multiple hyperattenuating rims delineating central hypoattenuating areas, suggestive of bronchiectatic lung with peripheral enhancing airway walls and fluid‐filled, necrotic bronchial lumen. One dog had evidence of tracheobronchial lymphadenopathy. Findings indicated that canine eosinophilic pulmonary granulomatosis should be included as a differential diagnosis for dogs with CT characteristics of multiple pulmonary masses and/or nodules in caudal lung lobes, and a honeycomb‐like enhancement pattern in masses after intravenous administration of iodinated contrast medium.